


Where is the Baby?

by beletseri



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M, I'm Bad At Tagging, Rey is a badass, Slice of Life, Small Towns, moms are fighters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2018-06-02
Packaged: 2019-05-17 02:50:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14823815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beletseri/pseuds/beletseri
Summary: Short drabble about after the war, Ben and Rey are living in domestic bliss after the birth of their first child. She wants to go into town, without Ben but with the baby. Ben's overprotective. I wanted to write something about a mom kicking ass.





	Where is the Baby?

“I’m heading out to the market”

“Where’s the baby?”

  
“I have him, he’s coming with me.” At this point Ben Solo emerged from the back bedroom into the living room of the modest small home on Takodana he and Rey had purchased three years ago. He was dressed in simple black robes with grey accents, he was frowning. Rey was in white and grey robes with a leather satchel over her shoulder and something strapped across her front in a grey fabric sling. She was walking towards the door, her hand outstretched.

  
“I don’t know that he needs to go with you.”

  
“You worry too much,” she replied. This only made Ben’s frown grow deeper.

  
“I don’t think it’s a good idea, didn’t you see the message from the Senate?”

  
“I don’t see how that matters overmuch.” At this point Rey turned towards him and crossed her arms over the something she was carrying.

  
Ben moved towards her and only then was able to see their son’s head poking out from the sling. “They raised the bounty on you, well us.” That was also when he realized she had her ‘saberstaff hanging from her side. He looked at it, rather pointedly. If she couldn’t feel the waives of emotion through their bond then she would have been able to read how both upset and nervous he was in that look.

  
“I will not stop living my life just because they raised the bounty,” she replied. He felt her resolution, firm and unwavering.

  
“I don’t want you to stop living your life, but maybe leave Ani with me this afternoon,” he said as he reached out his arms a bit. She pulled back.

“I don’t want him to stop living either, I’m a mother, but I’m also perfectly capable of taking care of him and me,” as she said this she moved backwards, out of arms length, while going for the door. She placed her hand on the doorknob.

“Well then let me come with you,” it seemed a reasonable request, a reasonable compromise. Ben had learned these few years that he’d have to come to reasonable compromises more often than not.

“You have a conference call in 20 minutes, and I want to go for a walk,” she paused and picked up speed, “You’ve been treating me like glass since I got pregnant and it’s been worse since the birth, you have to let me be.” He felt her determination and her need for independence through the bond.

“I know, I’m trying to be better about it. I don’t mind you going by yourself.” Mentioning the birth set off a series of memories in his mind. It had been difficult for Rey, long, over 24 hours and there were points where the medics were unsure if she would survive. He felt her fade in and out through the bond; at one point he thought she really might slip away. At this moment she felt his memories, felt his pain and his worry. She tried to push calm and security back through to him.

“You won’t always be with us at every moment,” and she stepped forward placing her hands in his, then looking up into his face and placing her left hand on his scarred cheek. “I am capable of taking care of myself, I will call you if there are any problems. You will feel it.” He frowned, if it was possible, even deeper but sighed slightly. He leaned down to kiss her. She felt his worry but also felt his resignation. She’d gotten her way.

“Thank you, do you need anything while I’m out?” she asked as he pulled back from the kiss.

“No, whatever you’re getting will be fine,” he replied as she pulled her hands out of his and smiled up at him. She turned, opened the door and walked out. He could feel her happiness and he hoped his sense of dread was just paranoia.

Their house was on a about 5 acres of land surrounded by forests. Rey had spent the last few years putting in a vegetable garden, then an herb garden and finally a floral garden. There was a winding path that lead up the house and passed a garage where she tinkered on various machines. They had a speeder, but she wanted to walk into town today, enjoy the day. She was looking forward to having some quiet time. Both with her own thoughts and with Ani.

  
He was about 6 months old at this point, well past the age when she couldn’t take him anywhere. Every day he was learning something new, or discovering something new. Every day she felt him grow firmer and more distinct in the Force. She had felt the way It had moved around him since she was pregnant. Though she hadn’t recognized him as a distinct being for months and months. He was still gradually becoming a person, forming a personality. It was quite miraculous.

  
She walked off their land and into the forest at large. The air cooled as she moved out of direct sunlight, the trees blocking light from the sun. She walked onto what could be called the main road into town, though it was more like a heavily trafficked forest path. Beat down enough that she wouldn’t get lost but certainly not paved. Nothing like what a main road would be on Chandrila or Corusant. Neither she nor Ben could stand being so close to the politics. Though they still had to periodically make appearances. As the former Supreme Leader of the First Order there were many government doors that would never be open to Ben Solo. As one of the protégés of General Leia Organa and “Last Jedi” there were many doors that were open to Rey, but she eschewed most of them to stay with Ben, with their little family. She preferred it that way but she could never abandon all of her ideals. So periodic trips to core worlds were required. She paused a bit in her thoughts as she realized she had managed to avoid most of them for the better part of the last year. Firstly because she was too pregnant, then because of the difficult birth and lately because Ani was too little. That excuse wouldn’t work for much longer, she thought a bit grimly.

  
That was one of the reasons why she’d wanted to try this little excursion. She couldn’t stay in their sweet little cottage with just Ben and Ani forever. There was so much to do rebuilding the Galaxy. She’d vowed long ago to try and bring hope to the Galaxy. First by fighting a war, then by redeeming Ben Solo and lastly, the longest task, by rebuilding what had been destroyed. By trying to make the peace and prosperity she felt in her little family something that other families could have.

  
Ani, who up until this moment had been blissfully sleeping, stirred and cooed. She stopped, leaned her head down to check on him. His tiny hand, which had grown so much in 6 months, reached up. She gave him a finger to grab, he seemed to settle down and turned his head back towards her chest. Settling back into sleep. Rey kept walking, her finger in his tiny fist until it became too uncomfortable. She slowly pulled it away from him and kept walking.

  
It has been about 40 minutes and she was reaching the edge of town. The markets would be open for another few hours. She was excited to haggle. The merchants had been left in peace for too long. She’d had to send Ben to the market for months now and each time he got swindled. He was terrible at bartering. Though, she would admit, he was very intimidating. That came in handy sometimes.

  
The town was coming into view. Larger than a village but smaller than a city the town of Skiddaw boasted a substantial market and a decent enough spaceport. It lacked a larger metropolis or too many government officials. Civilized enough that they could get what they needed, far enough away they wouldn’t be bothered.

  
Rey wanted to get a few power couplers and spare parts from the junk yard, along with a couple of tools. She also needed to pick up some food supplies and fabric. Ani was growing every day and was about to pop out of the clothes she had him in. She didn’t mind him running around in just a diaper but apparently that just wasn’t done. She would have just ignored Ben and let Ani roll about the house naked but, as Ben had rationalized, the winter months were coming. She didn’t want him to get sick. Now that she thought about it Ben had gotten very good at creating compromises between them.

  
In order to get to her favorite junk yard on the opposite side of town Rey would have to pass through the market. She stopped to pick up some very nice pieces of fabric one in blue and another in red. At the last moment she grabbed a bit of the green. She loved green and loved color. After her childhood on Jakku she never passed an opportunity to dress her son in lush colors.

  
Then she worked through the market. Picking up spices, rations, a few fruits and vegetables she couldn’t grow herself. She had been out for about 2 and a half hours and Ani was getting hungry. He was fussy, upset, wouldn’t go back to sleep. She finished her purchases and started walking towards the junk yard. That last stand had nearly robbed her, but it was hard to truly bargain with a hungry baby clawing and crying at you. She’d paid the merchant, not quite double what the fruit was worth, but closer to it than she’d prefer. She moved quickly towards the edge of town, when she got near the junk yard she knocked on a building sitting next to the yard.

  
An older woman answered, Jane DelHer. She was middle aged, married to Firbo, the junk yard’s owner. She was on friendly terms with Rey. Rey wasn’t sure if she had figured out who she was yet. Rey had never come here with Ben and usually referred to him as her husband. She thought that Jane just considered her the wife of a core worlder who, for whatever reason, lived out on Takodano now.

  
“Oh Rey, how are you? Is that the baby? I haven’t seen him yet!” Jane excitedly said. Rey had been a frequent customer of Firbo’s but since the baby had been born her patronage had tapered off. She felt bad for not coming to visit sooner.

“Oh yes, this is him, he’s being a real handful right now though,” she said. At that moment Ani let out a hungry wail that made the older woman grimace in sympathy.

“Hmm I see that.”

“I’m in town running errands, the last thing I have to pick up is batteries and power couplers from Firbo, but he’s hungry now and I was wondering if I could stop in for a moment, just to feed him.”

“Oh of course! You’re always welcome here. It will give me an opportunity to see the little guy.”

Jane moved away from the door and let Rey in. Jane had a modest little two story house. There was a living room and dining room. Rey noticed the dining table was hand carved, it looked like some wood from the forests around the town. The furniture was in excellent condition in the living room, nothing as grand as some of the things she’d seen on the core planets, but nice enough for her to reevaluate how the DelHer family did. Business must be going well.  
Jane walked to the right of the entryway and gestured to a comfortable looking armchair. Rey put her bag down and took Ani out of his sling. Oh he was livid right now, his feeding was late and he was being demanding. Rey tucked him into her tunic and he started to eat.

  
“I’m so sorry, I hope this isn’t a bad time,” said Rey to Jane who sat down across from her.

“Not at all! I was just thinking about you the other day and was hoping you would stop by. Now would you like to hear about the mayor? He is about to be run out of town.”

Rey settled in and let Jane go on about the Mayor, the Mayor’s wife, various merchants or prominent figures around town, and even a few choice pieces of off planet gossip. Rey loved the normalcy of this simple gossip. It made her feel like simply a wife and mother, just another member of the town, instead of the Last Jedi. Though when Jane started making a few comments about high ranking government members she knew, including her mother-in-law General Organa she began to get a bit uncomfortable.

“I’ve always liked Leia Organa. She fought well during both wars and had led admirably. I’m sure it’s difficult to rebuild, especially after the Senate was destroyed on Hosnian Prime.” Rey hoped she had rebuked Jane enough to move away from politics. She didn’t mind hearing about the fishmonger’s wife running away with a smuggler from Maz’s castle but she didn’t want to hear this botched gossip about the Senate. She got enough whenever she and Ben had to make a trip to Chandrila. Throughout this conversation Ani ate and ate, eventually falling asleep. Rey tucked him back into the little sling and made to stand up.

  
“I need to hurry up, I have to get those couplers and make it back home before dark,” said Rey reaching for her bag.

  
“It will be light long enough to make it back, I think,” replied Jane. “You ought to stay for tea or a bit of caf you must be tired.”

  
“Normally I’d be happy to, but I walked to town today and think I need to head back.”

  
“I’ll take you to where Firbo is then, he’s been tinkering all day I think. Business has been a bit slow.”

  
_Uh oh_ , thought Rey, that is what Jane always said before she tried to raise prices. She steeled herself as Jane let her out the back of the house towards the yard. She’d stared down Stormtrooper Legions, the Knights of Ren and two Supreme Leaders! She was going to get a good deal on those damned couplers!

  
As Rey moved through the backdoor and into the connected junk yard she felt a ripple of panic through the Force. It wasn’t Ben or Leia. It was nearby, within reaching distance. The looked up and around. Trying to take in 360 degrees of junk yard while watching Jane move away and pulling Ani closer to her chest. Her hand moved to her saberstaff. She didn’t draw it, but felt, deep inside her, that she might need to.  
The yard rose up all around her. Piles of scraps, hulls of shuttles and speedsters loomed overhead. They created a kind of ominous valley that, at places, rose over her and Jane’s heads. The perfect spot for an ambush. For a moment a thought ran through her head, she’d never be able to leave the house again if she was attacked on this first outing.

  
“Jane, I need you to come here,” Rey called out softly. Jane stopped and turned, Rey caught up to her.

  
“Is the baby alright? We can go back to the house.” That suggestion felt wrong, the Force told Rey that heading towards the house was the worst move at this point. They were in the house, they were closing in.

  
“Jane I’m not sure what is going to happen next, but you need to listen to me. Do what I say and stay behind me.” Jane stared at her like she had started speaking Shyriiwook and it was then she noticed Rey had her hand on her saberstaff. There was a large pile of scrap about 20 feet on the right from them, a small narrow pathway headed away. “We’re going that way”

  
“But, what’s happening? –” Jane was cut off by the sound of blaster fire heading towards them. Rey ignited one side of her saberstaff and deflected the blast. She tried to aim it as close to the shooter as possible, but the piles of twisted metal and droid parts made perfect shelters. She saw sparks fly as she dragged Jane into the pathway and deflected another blast. This one came from a different direction, there was more than one assassin. Just her luck.

  
She pulled Jane down the pathway, who started crying and stuttering. Staring at the glowing blue beam that extended from Rey’s hand.

  
“Who are you?” she managed to gasp out.

  
“I’m Rey and I’m planning on keeping you me and Ani alive. There are at least two assassins, though I feel more, maybe as many as six. I need you to do what I say.”

  
They ran down the path making seemingly random twists and turns. The Force was guiding them, Rey knew that this, this was not where her journey ended and trusted the Force, completely. She heard rustling in the scrap, behind at ground level but also behind her up in the piles. She glanced over her shoulder and saw a figure in armor sort of jumping and running along the top of the piles. She paused, moved her hand, and willed the pile he was just about to step on to crumble. The man fell and then she pulled down another pile on his head, crushing him. One down 5 more to go, she thought to herself.

  
Ani had been blissfully sleeping up until this point. The running and loud crash of metal woke him and he started to cry. She tried to calm him using the Force, projecting safety and security to him. This helped, but he was still unsettled. She felt the Force fluctuating around them both, partially because of the fighting and partly because of who they are. Ani shouldn’t be showing any Force sensitivity so early, but both she and Ben were just counting the days until he did. For a moment Rey thought the baby was responding to the disturbances and death that was surrounding them now.

  
Another blaster shot echoed out and she put away any thoughts about Ani and the Force. She needed to focus on the task at hand if she wanted them all to survive the day. She deflected the blast with her saberstaff but another shot came at her from a different direction. That one she caught with the force and flung back towards the shooter, who cried out when it hit him. She wasn’t sure if it was fatal or not.

  
It was at this point she realized Ben could feel the fight through the force. He was hammering away at her mind through the Bond. Their connection was through feelings, she tried to communicate that she was under attack but had things under control, she tried to communicate that she and Ani were unarmed, she even tried to express “junk yard” in feelings, though she didn’t think it was effective. On his end she felt urgency, rage and fear. He was coming, she felt that. He would probably take the speeder and be here in no less than 10 minutes. She could last for 10 minutes, part of her hoped she’d kill the assassins before he got here. She was perfectly capable of dispatching a few would be killers.

  
She and Jane continued running through the stacks of scrap. It was then Rey realized she was out of breath and she realized maybe she was not perfectly capable. She still was not a fit as she was before she was pregnant. She had resumed a training schedule but had been preoccupied with a new baby, an overprotective husband and rebuilding the Galaxy. A mistake she would have to rectify, immediately, if she made it out of this mess.

  
She blocked another round of blaster fire and saw an armed fighter running down a slope of junk towards her and Jane. He had something in his hands, maybe a staff or axe, but Rey rushed towards him, with her half ignited staff raised. She met him at the bottom of the slope, he had the high ground, but she trained with Ben who always had the high ground. The something in his hands was lined in plasma and blocked her blade, so she ignited the other end and in an upward motion cut through the man’s torso. He dropped. Two down.

  
A volley of blaster fire now rained down on her from two or three directions. She saw Jane, cowering, and saw a blast get dangerously close to the hem of her dress. Rey rushed over and started to swing her saberstaff, deflecting the rounds before they could touch either of them.

  
A piece of metal, some kind of twisted hunk of former door stretched out near Jane. Rey glanced at it and pushed Jane behind it. It offered mild protection and allowed Rey a few moments where she wasn’t actively blocking blaster fire. There were three more assassins, each firing at her. Then the blasters died down and she knew they were regrouping. She glanced around the door and saw one repositioning himself behind a 6 foot pile of scrapped droids. If he dug in there, like a tick, she’d never get him out. Rey saw a pole about 15 feet away, resting in another pile of metal. She grabbed it with the Force and flung it into the chest of that assassin. She used enough strength that most of the pole pushed through him and ended up sticking out of his back. His arms flailed as he tried to fix the problem, trying to pull out the pole and then trying to push it out his back as he fell onto his knees and died.

  
Ani let out a miserable wail, Rey started to rock him as best as she could without putting down her saberstaff. She projected more calm and security through the Force. It didn’t seem to be working. Rey, at this point, was more angry than scared. She was livid that Ani was crying, angry she’d been attacked, angry that her friend Jane was in danger. How dare these assassins come to her home and attack her while she had the baby. The indignity, injustice and sheer danger made her see red. She turned towards Jane.

“Jane, can you stay here and hold onto Ani for me?” Through tears Jane nodded and reached out to take him. Blaster fire started to pepper the door at this moment and Jane flinched, folding into herself. “Please, I need you to watch him so I can get us out of this mess.” Jane reached out her arms again and this time took him, cradling him to her chest. Rey pulled out from behind the door leaving Ani and Jane.

  
“You will soon learn that no bounty is worth this. You dared to come here, to my home, and attack me while I was alone and with the baby. I am not an easy target, I am the last of the Jedi and I will not stand for this!” she yelled out as she blocked the renewed volley of rounds.

  
The two assassins left were sliding down their respective mounds of junk. She started to run towards the one of the left. She was blocking their blaster fire with her saberstaff, held only with her left hand. She reached out with her right hand and, using the Force, pulled the assassin on the down to the ground, crushing his body against the ground. She pulled him into her path and when she reached him, seconds later, drove one end of the staff into his chest. She pulled it out of him as the final assassin started firing at her in rapid succession. She blocked 8 rounds as she advanced towards him, two hitting him in the arm and the leg. The man fell, in an ominous helmet and arm, showing no insignia, no affiliation and no emotion. Rey reached him and with a large rightward swing cut him across the chest and he fell.

  
Rey stood there for a moment, breathing heavily and trying to detect any other would be killers. She tried to catch her breath but ran back to the door where she had left Jane and Ani. As she reached it she turned off her saber at both ends. She found Jane, rocking Ani, and quietly crying. Ani was loudly crying, in distress. She took him from Jane and started to rock him on her chest. He calmed down as much as he could given the circumstances.

“Who are you?” stuttered Jane, “And why did those men want to kill you? Where did you come from?”

  
“I’m from nowhere,” Rey replied, smiling inwardly at her silly joke. Mirroring a conversation she’d had years ago, in another place and time. She started to wrap Ani back into the sling.

At this moment she felt three different things. She felt Ben approaching, very close, she felt a warning echo through the Force and she felt the last assassin who was the one she’d first injured. Without seeing him she felt him raise his blaster towards her. Jane was looking over her shoulder, she saw a man in a mask raise his blaster and she tried to warn Rey. However, before the words could fall from her lips a red beam sprouted from the man’s stomach. The blaster fell and the red beam pulled out of the assassin. He fell down dead and rolled down the scrap towards the ground. A man who, to Jane, seemed much scarier stood looking down at them. Dressed in black robes with grey accents he held a red lightsaber with two smaller red beams extending from the crossguard.

  
The man then ran down the scrap towards them. Rey turned toward him and dropped her staff to the ground. Jane tried to warn her about this new threat. But the warning died in her mouth when she saw Rey open up her arms to the man. They stood face to face, he bent down so that their foreheads were touching as he held her face in his hands. But also seemed to be searching her for any injuries.  
Rey briefly closed her eyes as Ben connected with her, both physically and through the bond. She tried to convey to him through her feelings that they were unharmed. But the only thing she could really do was mutter “We’re fine, we’re fine” over and over and over.

  
“I know you are, I know you’re able to take care of yourself,” Ben stated, simply.

“I love you” she said.

  
“I know,” he replied “I know, I love you.”

  
It was then Jane realized, she realized who he was. Recognized his face from holos. She recognized her as well, though she was dressed so differently. Or maybe not so differently. Maybe Jane just couldn’t imagine that she’d be living in their backwater town on Takodana. Jane was astonished to realize who had been sitting in her living room, who had been buying scraps from her husband and who had told her stories about her hapless husband who couldn’t haggle to save his life. She watched as he took the baby and gently cradled him in his large hands on his large chest. They turned towards her and Rey called out to Jane.

  
“Let’s take you back to your house and then we have to get home.” Jane nodded silently, a bit stunned, and followed the couple back towards her modest two story home. 

**Author's Note:**

> I was inspired by a drabble I found on tumblr about Ben hiding Rey's lightsaber while she was pregnant. Suddenly I knew I wanted to write a little something about Rey being able to kickass and take names even with a baby strapped to her chest.


End file.
